A gray-haired lady stood on the stoop.
“I’m sorry, I was looking for Caroline. You must be her sister, Anna. I see the family resemblance.”
Anna nodded as the woman extended her hand. “I’m Edna, I live next door. Caroline mentioned you might be interested in buying my townhome.”
With a glance at Nico, Anna nodded again but stepped outside, closing the door behind her. “Ethan is really engrossed in a game,” she said to explain her rudeness in not inviting Edna inside.
Edna nodded. “Yes, best not to disturb him. I spoke to Caroline a while ago when my son first asked if I’d like to move close to him. He just found me this nice condo in Phoenix, right by him, so I really need to sell my house in order to buy it. She mentioned you might be interested. Do you have a minute to come see it now?”
Anna looked back at the door.
“If this is a bad time, it’s not a problem. It’s just that one of the other neighbors also wants to buy it. I guess word spreads around, but I know it would mean so much to Caroline to have you right next to her. She could use the help with Ethan. Poor girl never gets out. I tried to watch him once, but he’s a handful for me. I see you and your husband know just how to get along with him.”
Caro hadn’t dated since Ethan’s diagnosis. The list of babysitters who were willing to take care of Ethan was small, and expensive. It would be nice if she could be here for Caro.
She opened the door and stuck her head in. “Nico, I’m going to the neighbor’s for a second. Will you two be okay?”
“It’s okay, Aunt Anna, he’s much better at this than you are. Take your time.”
Smiling, Anna closed the door and followed Edna into her home. It was a mirror image of Caro’s house and Anna could definitely afford Edna’s price. She even found the closet where they could make a gateway to Caro’s house for Ethan.
“I don’t mean to rush you, dear, but the other folks have already made me an offer. If you can match their price, we have a deal.”
Washington, DC, was almost eight thousand miles away from Guam; a third of the way around the earth. She and Nico had briefly talked about the idea of living in Hawaii, where they could catch direct flights to the island. From DC, they’d be lucky if they could make it with just two connections. Most of the flight paths required at least three connections and well over twenty hours in transit. They’d never be able to split their time. But what was the point of living in Hawaii? Nico wouldn’t have Nana and she wouldn’t have Caro and Ethan.
“I’ll buy it,” Anna said.
* * *
ANNA HADN’T BEEN gone for more than ten minutes when Nico’s cell phone rang. He made sure Ethan was busy with his blocks and went to the kitchen to answer it.
“Maria, Hafa Adai.”
“Hafa Adai, Nico. I’m sorry to call you like this, but you must return home.”
Nico’s heart stopped. Had something happened to Nana? To the hospital? Last he’d checked, there were no storms expected anytime soon, but he knew that could’ve changed overnight.
“Maria, please—”
“Nana collapsed. She’s okay now, but she said she got dizzy and fell. The phone was too far away for her to reach. Lucky that Tito came home and found her. He brought her to the hospital.”
Nico’s stomach hardened. He never should’ve left Nana alone, especially not for this long.
“What does Dr. Balachandra say?”
While they had a whole new team of physicians at the hospital, Nico trusted Dr. Balachandra the most and Maria knew that. She would’ve made sure he was the one to see Nana.
“He said it’s hard to tell what’s going on with her cancer, but that’s the likely cause. He wants you to talk to your mother about having the tests that oncologist recommended on the mainland.”
Nico rubbed his neck. The oncologist they’d hired could only do so much over video chat. He’d recommended Nana come to his hospital in Los Angeles for further testing and possibly surgery. He wouldn’t even prescribe any medication without the tests. One of the disadvantages of the mainland was that the doctors were all worried about people suing them. Nana wouldn’t hear of going to California. Not even for tests.
“I’ll get on a flight as soon as I can.”
“She’s asking for you, Nico.”
Maria transferred the phone to Nana and Nico chatted with her. Nana was putting on a good show, but Nico heard the fear in her voice. She didn’t want to die alone.
“I’ll be there, Nana, you hang in.”
As soon as he hung up, he powered up Caro’s computer to look for flights, frantically searching the websites for the combination of legs that would get him home as quickly as possible.
“Nico?”
He turned to find Anna standing behind him. “Ethan was all alone in the family room. What’s going on?”
He closed his eyes. Ethan seemed so independent, he’d forgotten that the boy needed to be supervised at all times. “Is he okay?”
Anna nodded. “Why did you leave him alone?”
Nico filled her in on everything that had happened with Nana. Anna braced herself against the desk. “I’ll come with you,” she said softly.
He wanted more than anything for her to be with him, but what could she do there? He’d seen the price of flights. They cost more than the monthly salary he drew from his work at the hospital. And that was just one way. Besides, Anna had tried to convince Nana to go to California and she’d refused.
“It’s going to take twenty-six hours to get home,” he said dejectedly as he clicked through to buy his ticket.
“I know,” Anna whispered softly.
“That’s the point you’ve been making, isn’t it? That my home is too far away.”
She nodded. “See how you feel now, trying to get to Nana? That’ll be what our lives are like. You can’t go back every month. It’s not practical. And if something happens to Nana like it just did, you’ll never forgive yourself if you can’t make it home in time.”
He knew she was right. There was no real choice. Anna circled her arms around his neck and sat in his lap. Burying his head in her shoulder, he took a deep breath, memorizing the feel of her body against his, her scent, the softness of her skin. The flight he selected was leaving in three hours.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
“I DON’T UNDERSTAND why Nico isn’t here to help you.” Caro grunted as she struggled to lift a coffee table up the front porch steps of Anna’s town house. Ethan sat on the stoop playing a video game.
“Uncle Nico is gone for good.” Trust Ethan to cut to the heart of the matter. Caro set down the table and Anna blew out a breath.
“This thing is ridiculously heavy,” Caro complained. Anna had found the table at an antiques sale along with several other pieces for her new home.
“Why hasn’t Nico been back? It’s been almost a month.”
What was she supposed to say? The phrase it’s complicated was invented to describe her and Nico. Anna had gotten a full-time job at the community clinic where she had been working. It was the same kind of work she enjoyed when she’d been working for the PHS but without the crazy hours and with the stability of home. Instead of a secret passage, she and Caro had opted to make a whole doorway so they could more easily pass between the houses. Ethan was thriving having his aunt so close by. His “safe zone” had doubled. Caro had never been happier. She was even dating now that she had a reliable sitter.
Anna had everything she needed. Except Nico. Before her heart held pain and suffering inside it, suffocating her. Now there was a big gaping hole that she knew would never heal.
“Maybe it’s time for me to move on with my life. Without Nico.”
* * *
NICO HAMMERED THE final nail onto the roof. There were a few minor repairs left
but the house was in functioning order. Now all it needed was new furniture. That was Anna’s department. Or had been. Aside from the furniture in the bedroom and Lucas’s old crib, nothing had survived. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to throw out the crib. Instead he’d stored it in the shed.
He climbed down the ladder and stepped back to admire his work. It hadn’t been the same, resurrecting the house without Anna. But he’d done it.
“You gonna bring that ladder back for me before I fall through this crappy roof, or what?”
Nico shook his head at Tito who was perched on the roof with his legs hanging over the side. He moved the ladder so Tito could come down. He’d been repairing the chimney. Tito worked as a handyman around the island and had been helping Nico get the house back in order.
Tito dusted his hands. “Yo, this could be such a sweet bachelor pad. I’m thinking black leather couches on the main level, big flat-screen TVs. That new nurse in the ER has a friend. I’m just saying, bro, we can live it up here.”
Nico patted Tito and shook his head. The last thing he wanted to do was date. He’d learned his lesson with Maria. There was no point in trying to get over Anna. It wasn’t going to happen. Besides, he had another plan, one which he should’ve put in place a long time ago. It was time for him to be a man and do what was right for his family.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“NANA, WHAT DID you put in here? It weighs a ton.” Tito huffed as he loaded the suitcase onto the conveyor belt.
“You need to exercise some more, Tito. Young man like you should be able to lift that,” Nana scolded.
Nico ignored them as he stabbed the end button on his phone. He’d been trying to reach Anna on her cell; it had been going straight to voice mail for a day. She hadn’t answered any of her texts or emails, either. Had she done something drastic again like sign up to go work in Syria? He pulled up Caro’s number on his phone. It was a decent hour in DC, so if Anna was just avoiding his calls, he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
“Hello?” Caro sounded groggy. It was early morning on a Saturday in Washington, and Nico remembered that she liked to sleep in on the weekends.
He handed his passport to Nana so she could finish checking them in, waving to Lando behind the counter.
“Caro, it’s Nico.”
A loud shriek on the other end of the line made him pull the phone away from his ear. “Shh, Ethan, it’s okay,” came Caro’s soothing voice. “Nico, I’ll call you back,” she said, hanging up.
“You all are really late. I can’t guarantee your bags will make it, but I’ll call the gate to hold the plane. They’re boarding now.” Lando handed over their boarding passes then exited the ticket counter and put up a closed sign amid the moans of the passengers behind them. Lando was an old family friend. He was the son of Nana’s best friend from high school. That was practically family.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the front of the security line.”
Nana hugged Tito, who started sobbing. He squeezed Nico as Lando yelled at them to hurry. They ran through the terminal to security. Lando took them to the VIP lane and spoke to the security guard at front. Nico’s phone rang.
“Caro, where’s Anna?”
“What do you mean? You don’t know where she is?”
Nico’s heart came to a stop. “Why would I know where she is?”
Before he could hear her response, the phone was unceremoniously taken from him by the security guard. He put the phone in a plastic container already on its way through the X-ray.
“Shoes off, smart guy. You’re lucky Lando vouched for you. I don’t let anyone cut.”
Nana was already through the metal detector. Nico took off his shoes and belt and slapped them onto the conveyor. He stepped through the detector, grateful it didn’t go off. As soon as he got to the other side, he picked up his phone, but Caro was gone.
Where’s Anna?
He knew he’d taken too long to convince Nana to go to the mainland. Almost eight weeks had passed since he’d seen Anna. Unsure of whether his plan would really work, he hadn’t told her what he was planning. He was going to show up at Caro’s door and surprise her. The big hiccup had been Nana, who wanted to attend her “last” fiesta in Talofofo. Each of the villages in Guam held its own festival each year. Nana was the church organizer for the fiesta and didn’t want to let the congregation down. The concession had been that Nana had gone to California for her tests. The next battle would be getting her to agree to the surgery the oncologist recommended. Nico figured the small delay wouldn’t make a difference given how long they’d already waited. But what if he was too late?
He was about to try Caro again as he followed Nana to the gate. There was a woman in red walking in his direction. He could’ve sworn it was Anna. It seemed he couldn’t stop thinking about her and seeing her everywhere. The woman passed right by him and Nana. Wait.
“Anna!”
She halted and turned. Leaving her carry-on bag, she ran toward him. He met her halfway, his arms automatically reaching for her. He held on to her tightly, kissing her with everything he had. Every day they’d been apart, all he could think about was this moment when he’d get to hold her in his arms. Whatever happened, he wasn’t going to let her go. They were done being apart.
“You’re the other half of me, Anna. I’m not a whole man without you.”
She lifted her head, eyes shining. “I couldn’t stand being apart anymore.”
Something was different about her. Before his brain could process what it was, she stepped back.
“Anna! Look at you!”
Nana had caught up with them and she hugged Anna.
“You shouldn’t be traveling in your condition.”
Nico frowned. What did Nana mean? Anna put a hand to her belly and then it dawned on him. “I’m only four months along. It’s perfectly safe to travel. But I’m having the baby in DC. I came to get you.” She looked at Nico, then Nana. “Both of you.”
“Would Nico and Teresa Atao please make their way to Gate 23? Your flight is about to leave.”
They all looked at each other and laughed. Nana put a hand on Nico’s arm and nodded. Nico pulled out his phone and called Lando, explaining what he needed. He held the phone away from his phone as Lando screamed at him about the impossibility of his request. Nico gestured to Anna and Nana, who made their way to the gate. When they got there, the gate agent was standing in the doorway, holding out her hand for Nico and Nana’s boarding passes. Nico shook his head and motioned to the desk where another agent was on the phone. He looked at Nico, rolled his eyes and hit some buttons on the computer.
“These flights are usually full—how did you get me a ticket so last minute?” Anna asked.
“Nana’s transferring her ticket to you.”
Anna stared at Nana. “No! I’ll catch the next flight. You need to go...”
Nana shook her head. “I’m going to stay here and let the Lord take care of me. The only reason I was coming was to reunite you two, that’s what I prayed for. And look, here you are.” She put Anna’s hand in Nico’s. “I never want to see either of you without the other. Understand?” They both nodded and hugged Nana.
The desk agent hurried toward them and asked Anna for her passport. After verifying it, he gave her a boarding pass.
“So, is Caro ready for houseguests?”
Anna shook her head. “She doesn’t need to be.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and gave a mysterious smile. “I have a surprise for you, kind of like the one you gave me on our wedding day.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“WHERE IS MY NETA?”
Anna watched Nico greet his mother through the crowd of passengers at the airport. She smiled as she heard his annoyed, “What, you don’t give your own son a hug anymore?”
Nana shook her head and put one hand on her hip. “Don’t you know, my granddaughter trumps you!” Then she spotted Anna and raced toward her, stopping a few inches short, as if she were afraid to come any closer. She put her hands on her cheeks, her eyes shining.
“Oh, my precious little baby.”
Anna held out her arms and transferred the wriggly infant to her grandmother’s arms. “Here you go, Teresa, meet your namesake.”
Nana kissed the baby on her head. “May you have every happiness in the world.” Nico put his arm around his mother. “We’re so glad you came.”
Anna nodded in agreement. Seeing the tears in Nana’s eyes and the grin on Nico’s face made her heart swell.
“Well, it’s not like you left me any choice. Were you in on this plan, Anna? To torture a poor old woman by sending her pictures of her granddaughter and saying I could only see her if I traveled halfway around the world?”
Anna smiled, wisely staying out of the argument that was about to ensue between mother and son. Their initial plan had been to take the healthy baby girl to Guam to meet Nana, but Nico realized that holding the baby out as a carrot would be the only way to get his mother to the mainland. The oncologist Nico had been working with said that Nana could easily live another ten to fifteen years if she got surgery. Her cancer hadn’t metastasized and she was generally in good health. But Nana was the most stubborn woman on the planet and still refused. Until she saw pictures of Baby Teresa and realized there was something for her off the island.
“Come on, Nana, it’s time to take you home,” Nico said.
* * *
A MONTH LATER, they were all at Senator Roberts’s house. Kat’s mother had insisted on having a dinner for all of them. Kat and Alex had been living in Virginia but had recently bought a town house in DC so Kat could come home between meetings to check on her five-month-old boy, who was only four months older than little Teresa. Kat’s mother-in-law looked after Baby Kyle during the day. That arrangement was what had given Anna the idea to entice Nana to the mainland.
Mending the Doctor's Heart Page 21
